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Halflings
Halfling is actually a derogetory term for the gnome race, though other races use the word almost exclusviely and most gnomes use it just as often. Halflings believe their people were conquered and enslaved by the Vasharran Empire, which led to the annihalation of their culture. However, unknown to the halflings, the Vasharran Empire were actually creators of the halfling race, using their dark magic to create life that they could abuse into enslavement. With the fall of the Vasharran Empire the halfling people found themselves still treated as second class citizens, living off the scraps of other socities (hence their theif stereotype, accurate as it may be). The halflings main goal in life is now looking for evidence of their culture in order to try and reconstruct their civilization that never existed. __TOC__ Personality Halflings prefer trouble to boredom. They are cunning and resourceful, relying on their ability to survive or escape danger they demonstrate a daring that many "tallfolk" can't match. Halfling caravans are nomadic, wandering wherever circumstance and curiosity take them. They enjoy wealth and the pleasures it can bring, and they tend to spend gold as quickly as they acquire it. Halflings are also famous collectors, collecting objects such as weapons, books, jewelery, the hides of wild beasts-or even the beasts themselves. Wealthy halflings sometimes commission adventurers to retrieve exotic items to complete their collections. Halflings have an almost innate wanderlust which is mostly satisified by the caravans they live in. Many however set off on their own, for this reason halflings are commonly found on ships, always traveling back and forth across the seas. Physical Description Halflings stand 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Their skin color is often a ruddy and their hair is straight, often forming spikes, and most commonly black or brown. They most commonly have amber colored eyes. Halfling men often have long prominent sideburns, Those that don't have sideburns will often grow a unique beard with two spouts of hair growing from the sides of their chin. Halflings prefer simple, comfortable, and practical clothing. Haflings reach adulthood at 16 and will die around the age of 50. Lands Halflings have no land of their own. Instead they live in the lands of other races, where they can benefit from whatever resources those areas have to offer. Halflings live in tight knit wandering communities called caravans that never stay in one place for long, though they are known to return to certain communities they've developed a relationship with, especially if that relationship is profitable to the halflings. However halfling caravans are always looking for the newes t and biggest oppurtunity such as a new mine that just opened up, or a land plagued by war in need of skilled workers. Most of these caravans support themselves through trading materials they come in contact with on their travels. Halfling caravans are famed for being trading posts of rare and exotic items. Religion Halflings are the only known race to be openly agnostic. Their lack of culture gives them no spiritual foundation, though they believe there must be some sort of God that their people believed in before being enslaved. Many Halflings who crave a spiritual reassurance turn to the human's pantheon, specifically favoring Fharlanghn, god of roads. Many however are finding the spiritual teaching of the Maenad's Psi to be an alte rnative that they philisophically agree with. Agnostic, Pantheonistic, and Psi-based worshippers are essentially split evenly among the halflings. Alignment Halflings being natural wanderers are almost always chaotic. Usually they are self serving and therefore lean toward neutrality on the good and evil spectrum. Language Once again, due to the halflings lack of a proper historical culture they have no language to base themselves on. Because of they primarily speak common. Though they speak common halflings are illerate and don't know how to write in common. Because of this halflings have a rich oral tradition in their caravans. Names Halflings love names. His mother gives him a name, his father gives him a name, his aunts give him a name, his uncles give him a name, and his friends give him a nickname. When dealing with humans and other races that are "stuffy" with names they try to keep it simple, a name for introductions, a name for family, and a name for close friends. Having no real culture foundation for their names Halflings typically just make up names that they like the sound of. ''Males: ''Alton, Beau, Cade, Eldon, Gimble, Lyle, Milo, Osborn, Roscoe, Wellby, Roondar. ''Female Names: ''Amaryllis, Charmaine, Cora, Euphemia, Jillian, Seraphina, Ellywick, Roywyn. ''Nicknames: ''Greenbottle, Hilltopple, Aleslosh, Badger, Cloak, Doublelock, Oneshoe. Adventurers Many Haflings see adventuring less as a career and more as an oppurtunity as a quick, if dangerous, path to wealth. The distiniction between halfling adventurer and a halfling out on their own looking for "a big score" can get blurry. While halfling opporunism can sometimes look like larceny or fraud to others, a halfling adenturerer who learns to trust his fellows is worth of trust in return. Another prime reason for a Hafling to adventure is to search for evidence of their nonexistant culture. Halflings